This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a hand tool used for removing shingles and nails from a roof.
Houses are generally constructed having inclined roofs which are covered with a plurality of overlapping, horizontally aligned rows of shingles. The shingles may be made of asphalt or wood which are nailed to the roof. Generally, beginning with the bottom or lower-most edge of the roof, the shingles are nailed in place with successive layers or rows overlapping the top of the proceeding below-mounted row. The shingles are generally mounted to the roof by a plurality of nails.
Over time, the shingles deteriorate and will leak. Thus, it is necessary to periodically remove the shingles in order to apply a new roof covering. In order to remove the shingles, it is necessary to pry up the shingles and nails. This is done in the reverse order as when the shingles were installed. At times, the shingles will pull the nails up with them when they are removed and other times, the nails remain in the roof and must be extracted separately.
Various tools have been used in the past to accomplish these purposes. Examples of such patents are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,781 issued to Wirth on May 5, 1996 discloses a prying tool that fits into gaps between the skip sheeting boards. This device does not have tines which are forced under the shingles in order to assist in removing them, nor does it have any mechanism to lift the nails from the roof by a tooth or claw mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,126 issued to Schaben on May 4, 1993 discloses a shake removal tool. This device does not have tines or teeth to assist in lifting the shingles and essentially provides only a mechanism used to remove nails from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,390 issued to Renner on Jan. 8, 1980 discloses a roof shingle remover tool that is swung by the roofer under the shingles in order to remove the shingles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,946 issued to Shirlin et al. on May 26, 1991 illustrates an air cylinder mechanism in conjunction with a lever mechanism used to remove shingles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,077 issued to Bickar on Jun. 18, 1996 shows a rake attachment for converting a pitchfork into a combination device. This invention is not readily adaptable to remove nails from a roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,743 to Ackerman on Mar. 1, 1997 illustrates a roof stripping tool in which the forward end of the tool has teeth that can cut the nails or, alternatively, the nails are received between the teeth and can be removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,676 issued to Fieni on Jan. 25, 1994 illustrates a tool used to remove shingles and nails from the roof on both a forward or backward stroke. There are teeth with openings at the forward end to receive the nails on a forward pushing stroke and teeth facing in the opposite direction at the rear of the tool to receive nails on a withdrawing or backward stroke.
A common problem with all of the prior art devices is that they do not provide long extending tines which are easy to slip under shingles and provide the leverage required to lift the shingles easily. By using long protruding tines, Applicant has provided a hand tool which easily slides under the shingles. Furthermore, a problem with the prior devices is that the nail removing teeth are generally provided on the same initial cutting blade surface which is used to be pushed underneath the shingles. This results in the teeth striking the nail heads and often snapping them off. Furthermore, the teeth, as being a portion of the forward-most edge of the blade, quickly dull or themselves can be broken. Applicant's device overcomes this problem by providing a separate set of teeth positioned rearwardly of the forward pointed tines. This allows the tines to separately lift the shingles and, at times, the nails, holding the shingles in place, are also removed. The nail removing portion of Applicant's device is only utilized once the shingles are removed and any nails remain in the roof.
Accordingly, Applicant's invention provides a shingle removing tool that has sharp forwardly projecting tines located at one end of a handle. The tines have pointed tips which easily slide underneath the shingles and can be used to pry the shingles from the roof. Disposed rearwardly of the tines and pointing in the same direction as the pointed tips of the tines are a plurality of teeth extending in the same direction as the tines. These rearwardly disposed teeth will engage and remove any nails remaining in the roof after the tines have lifted the shingles from the roof. Furthermore, the rearward teeth engage the nails as the tool is pushed forward in a constant forward moving direction without requiring or necessitating the removal of nails on a backward stroke of the tool.